The Hunter and His Witch
by TricksAndTreats 3 Contest
Summary: A hunter, given immortality, must find and save a special white witch. Together they must stop the demon warlock before the clock strikes midnight on All Hallows Eve. Will he be able to protect her, or will the same demon that killed the hunter's sister, kill her, too? Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement


**Title of Story: The Hunter and His Witch**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairing: Edward and Bella**

 **Genre: Romance / Supernatural**

 **Word Count: 10,367**

 **Story Summary: A hunter, given immortality, must find and save a special white witch. Together they must stop the demon warlock before the clock strikes midnight on All Hallows eve. Will he be able to protect her, or will the same demon that killed the hunter's sister, kill her, too?**

 **Standard Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **EPOV - 1817 America**

I watch the candle burn on my desk, and know that I should be writing my report while I still have enough light to see. I can't seem to get my mind on it, not with him being just across the road from me.

It took seven years of my life to catch him and bring him before the court for charges of witchcraft. He also had to answer to the charges for the deaths by his hands. The one death that made me need to see this through to the end was my sweet lovely twin sister Jessica's.

We first met him when we stumbled upon his house when we both were children. After our parents had passed, we were traveling to our aunt and uncle's homestead, but we became lost in the woods during a storm. He took us in telling us his name was Eric. He seemed to be a nice old man. It wasn't a week later that we realized he practiced witchcraft.

Our parents—especially our father—were religious. Our father was a pastor, and our mother a teacher. They had warned us about people who were into the craft, and how they were evil. They never believed God would give people that kind of power and said that people who tried dabbling with evil arts became evil. When it became apparent that he was deeply involved in witchcraft, we tried to leave.

That night was one of the strangest nights of my life. It was certainly one of the scariest, too. It was the night when I found out that witchcraft was real, and that there were, in fact, people that had inhuman powers. Powers that God had not given to them.

Jessica and I barely made it out with our lives intact. We reached our Aunt and Uncle's place and told them what had happened. They, along with some of the town's people, went to investigate, but both the house and Eric were nowhere to be found.

Jessica and I had no choice but to get on with our lives. We had just turned twenty-one, when Jessica came to tell me she had met a man. Michael was six years older, being twenty-seven. When I first met him, I got a bad feeling, but I had been weary of many people after that night from my childhood. I shrugged off my bad feeling, thinking my mind was still damaged.

"He is requesting to see you." I jump, startled out of my thoughts by John Whitlock, the sheriff of our town.

"Why would he want to see me? He has plead his case, been tried, and found guilty. He's been sentenced to death," I fire back knowing full well who he is talking about.

"He only said that you should come and see him; he wanted to say his goodbyes."

I frown, but stand up knowing this must be another one of his games similar to the one he played when we were younger. He appeared to be a frail old man when he was nothing of the sort. I grab my fur, wrapping it around me as I walk out the door.

"Winter is clearly coming early," John mutters as we walk to the jail.

I look to the sky seeing the snow falling softly to the ground. It is odd that we are getting snow so early, but this year has been a cold year all around.

"Edward," John says softly when we reach the jail. "Don't let him provoke you."

My eyes only move to the corner and I refuse to look at him.

"I know he killed your sister."

I shake my head at him not wanting to hear any more of what he is saying. "Then why were you so keen for me to see him?" I snap starting to wonder why he came only to now warn me.

"Edward …" he says softly.

"I managed to arrest him without killing him. I am sure I can manage ten or so minutes before he is executed."

I walk through the door and up the stairs to where he is being kept. When I reach his door, I take a few minutes to calm myself. My eyes go right to him as he stands in the center of the cell. He has a chilling calm aura about him. He doesn't appear to look scared that he will be executed in a few hours. He doesn't even look uncomfortable for someone who has his ankles in chains that are attached to the floor while his wrists are linked to chains in the ceiling.

"I didn't think you'd come, Edward."

"Why wouldn't I, Michael?" I ask him with a raised brow. "You know you don't scare me."

He chuckles and suddenly stops. "I did when you were a younger," he retorts.

"I was a young, naive child."

He just smiles. "You were fourteen, hardly an innocent."

"Is this all you want, to reminisce about our past?"

Michael again laughs. "No, I wanted to reminisce about your lovely sister."

I move to him gripping his neck, which seems to make him laugh more.

"I wanted her to be the one to carry my kin, but she wasn't a strong enough witch," he states.

"She wasn't a witch," I hiss at him.

"Just because you didn't want her to be, doesn't mean she wasn't. She wasn't strong enough, so I sacrificed her so that I could find the one that will bring forth human destruction." Michael stops and merely grins at me. His head moves forward so that his face is close to mine.

"But hear me now, my God will be reborn and there is nothing you can do about it. You will not even be around to stop me."

I hit him hard, feeling the satisfying crunch of his bone before walking to the door.

"It has been a pleasure, Edward, I almost feel a little sad that this will be the last time I see you," he says.

I walk out the door, slamming it shut. I'm outside the jail when I hear a rumbling sound. My eyes shoot to the sky seeing that there is now a dark cloud above as lighting starts to hit the jail, I run back in to his cell finding him loose. He grins at me and runs to the wall but instead of hitting it he runs through it. Not wanting him to get away, I quickly follow only to slam full force into the wall and then hit the ground.

I awake to find that I am no longer in the cell, but in John Whitlock's home. I groan as I sit up.

"He got away," John says and I just hum in pain. "The town is afraid; we told them he got loose and ran."

I turn to look at him.

"I'd rather admit he escaped than tell people he vanished through a wall." John sits down next to me and looks a little nervous.

"What else has happened?" I ask harshly.

"I know you don't like witches, but we need help," he says and I simply look at him. "She's a good witch," he says, and before he can talk again, a woman walks through the door.

"Michael has gone to the future; the only way to catch him and bring him to justice, is if you go there, too," the small woman states.

"You are in league with a witch?" I ask John feeling shocked that he would be consorting with one while trying to end them alongside me.

"I am a seer," she hisses and I just turn to her, and raise the cross on my necklace.

The woman rolls her eyes, takes a hold of my cross in one of her hands. "I am a white witch, we're good. I do the work of God, protecting the innocent."

"You didn't protect my sister," I retort.

"She went with him of her own free will. I tried to warn her, but it was her choice to go to the dark side," the woman tells me.

I step toward her but she stands her ground. "You can either fight me, or I can help you stop him. He is the one that is trying to bring about the end of the world."

"Trust her," John says. "I've known Lilith for a long time; she is good," John says making me look at him.

"You trust her?" I ask.

"With my own life, and that of yours, yes. My family has known her for years and she's never done anything to give us a reason to question or doubt her."

I sigh. I am out of options. I know that Michael will do more harm, and if she can help me find and kill him, then I'm willing. "Fine; what do we do?" I ask knowing that just because I have accepted her help doesn't mean I trust her.

"You need to drink this." I look at her as she hands me a cup.

I take it from her and start to drink it, but she stops me.

"This will make you immortal. You will not be able to die, and you'll remain to look and appear to be the twenty-eight years you are now. You will live until he has carried out his plan, or you have been stopped."

"So, I'll die when he does?" I ask hoping she'll clarify for me.

"No; if you kill him, you will live the rest of your life, normally, no longer immortal. However, if he carries out his plans, then we all die." She stops and looks at me sadly. "You could be alive only a short time with a normal lifespan, or it could be years, centuries even. I have no idea what time period he has gone to. For you, the loss will be great. You will lose many people you love, watch many love ones and friends die. For him no time will have passed at all."

I nod at her again.

"All I can see is that there is a girl that he needs—one that will have been born from two families; one of a hunter and one of a witch. If he finds her first, he will bend her will. You must find her and teach her the way of goodness."

I just look at her unsure of what she means. "When a witch first comes into her powers, there is a time in which darkness can populate her heart. Don't let him get to her."

I drink down the potion. "How will I know when I find her?"

"From what I can see, your heart will know; your head just has to listen to it."

"That's rather cryptic," I state.

"Your heart will feel something you've never felt before. You'll know when you are near a witch or warlock; you already get a tingling feeling, am I correct?"

"Yes," I answer.

"That same feeling will be present, but it will feel different, and you will also experience a new feeling, one that you haven't felt before; just pay attention to it. Your urge to protect her will outweigh your desire to kill her."

"Strange," I say as the room starts to spin. "I feel …" before I can end my sentences everything goes black.

 **2017 America**

I sit up in my bed and try hard to calm my breathing. It has been two hundred years and I still remember the day plain as if it were yesterday. I was only able to stay in my home town for ten years before it came clear that I wasn't aging, which of course, scared some of the villagers. I left, only keeping in touch with John, and with his help, Lilith. He was the first person who I lost. Then Lilith passed, it wasn't until her death that I learned what a good friend she had been to me.

As the years passed, I found myself becoming more and more closed off with each person I lost. Thankfully, I never lost a lover. I had been with a few women here and there, but I had never felt any of them were the love of my life, which I am grateful for. But even at that, the loss of friends, and those I thought of as family has hit me hard. It's been almost fifty years since I have made any real friends.

My alarm sounds, and I turn it off, before heading to the shower. Over the years, I have managed to collect a sizeable amount of money. I have enough that I am able to start a new life when I need to. I know that Michael will, at some point appear, but I haven't seen him yet. Lilith was sure the girl I needed to find will be here, in the Pacific Northwest, and whatever Michael needs to do, has to be done, there, too. His old house, the one that disappeared when I was a child, is located there.

I have been staying nearby so that I will be here when he shows up or at least find the girl before he does. I lived in a small tribal village called La Push for forty years. They seemed to be more accepting of my immortality than anyone else. But, I eventually became bored and needed something more to pass my time. I restarted a new life in Port Angeles a few months ago. I am currently a History professor at the local college. I am strangely enjoying it, even though it has only been a few weeks.

 **~THAHW~**

I look at my students who all seem eager to learn. "As we're just getting into the semester, I thought you should have an assignment about Halloween. You have to research where the name came from, where it originated, and then pick a theme. You can choose pumpkins, ghosts, or whatever you wish. I want you to write about its beginning and how it became linked to Halloween. I would also like you to include how it has changed over the years from its origin to present day. This has to be completed and handed in by October 20th, and we will share what you have found with the class on October 31st ."

"Can we start now?" a student asks and I nod at them. I watch the class as they all start to work on the project.

There is a knock on the door, and I walk over opening it. As I do, I feel my heart take off. "John?" I mutter looking at the man, who looks so much like my late friend.

"Jasper," he says with a smile. "I know you're in class, but could I speak to my granddaughter?"

I seem to simply stare at him. "Miss Whitlock," I say but I don't take my eyes off of him.

"My name is Whitlock but my granddaughter is Bella, Bella Swan," he says.

I nod and turn to the class, and before I can call her name a young woman is approaching me.

"Papa?" she says looking at him.

"Sorry, Bella, can I have a quick word?" Jasper asks.

"Professor?" the girl asks.

My eyes move to the woman, who looks so much like John, but also somehow like Lilith, too. There is innocence about her. I step out of her way and she walks to Jasper. I walk back into my class, but stay where I can see and hear them.

"Your gran, asked me to drop this off. She feels bad that she missed you this morning," he says.

"She didn't need to; I could've gotten it tonight at dinner," she states.

"It's your birthday, and we wanted you to have it. She's worried you'll need to be protected again," he says.

"What has she seen this time?" Bella asks and my head snaps around a little when I hear the word _seen_.

"She has a bad feeling that you may be in danger," he answers her.

"The only danger I'll be in is failing this class," Bella moves to come back into the classroom, but Jasper stops her.

"You have to open it and put it on," he says.

Bella lets out a soft sigh, but I could still hear it.

"It's beautiful," she says and turns. Her eyes meet mine and stay there as Jasper clasps the necklace around her neck. My eyes move to the sterling silver pendant with blue enamel tiles that form a pentagram. I know this is the same necklace Lilith wore for protection. I also know that two of the symbols on the point of the pentagram represent where Lilith's family originated, and there are another two added, but she's too far away to see what they are.

"See you at dinner," Bella says walking away from Jasper.

"Sorry, Professor," Bella says as she walks past me.

The class seems to drag on and more often than not my eyes go to Bella. As the students clean up, and start to leave, I stand. "Miss Whitlock …" I shake my head remembering that's not her last name. "Miss Swan, may I speak with you?"

She walks to my desk and looks at me, but I wait until my classroom is empty.

"So …" Bella says after a few minutes of silence.

"Your grandfather … can I ask who he's married to?"

"My gran's name was Maria Higginbotham."

I shake my head knowing that wasn't Lilith's last name, and as far as she told me, all of her children, even by marriage, would take her family name.

"Sorry, it's just that you remind me of someone," I say with a smile, knowing that her last name is Swan so she can't be related.

"Is there anything else?" She asks and again looks at me, and I feel the old tingling feeling, but it's so light; I am unsure whether it's there or if my head's messing with me.

My hand goes to the necklace and I pick it up. I know this was Lilith's necklace, I am sure of it.

"It's been in my family for years," Bella says.

"Your grandfathers'?" I ask.

"No, my gran, on my father's side."

I look at her with my head tilted a little.

"My papa, who came here, is my mother's father; this was my father's mother's."

"She was a Swan?" I ask.

"Oh, God, don't let her hear you call her that. She kept her family name of Brandon."

My eyes snap to her, and all I can do is look at her.

"You mother is a Whitlock, and your father is a Brandon?"

"Yes," she says with a smile.

 _She will be born both of a Hunter and a Witch_ my mind echoes Lilith's words in my head.

"The only thing my grandparents on both sides agreed with was that I was not to be a Whitlock or a Brandon, so they went with Swan."

My eyes stay on her and she ducks her head down.

"They both have a family history of sorts, and wanted me to stay hidden, from what I have no idea. But my Gran Alice agrees that I should along with my father take her husband James' last name of Swan. I kind of like it."

"Me, too," I tell her, without thinking.

"Is there anything else, Sir? I am going to be late for my next class." I drop the pendent and step back from her.

"No, you're free to go."

The rest of the day passes, but my mind seems to be on John and Bella. At the end of the day, I clear up my classroom and head out only to walk into Bella, who appears to be coming into my class just as I'm leaving. My hand shoots out catching her before she falls to the ground.

"Hey," I say feeling my whole being come to life.

"Hi," Bella chuckles and I feel a heat inside my chest.

As Bella pulls back, I see that her face is a deep red color.

"My gran asked me to invite you to dinner, something about your family and hers being long ago friends. She said she lost contact with you," as she speaks, Bella's head shakes almost as if she doesn't believe what she is saying. "I wasn't going to come and ask, but she threatened to come herself, so here I am."

"Here you are," I smile. "Yes, I would like to come to dinner. I would like to find out what has been happening in my old friend's families' lives."

Bella just seems to look at me, almost as if she knows there's more to my words, but simply nods. I collect my jacket and follow her out.

"My car is over there," she says pointing farther down the parking lot. "It's a black Impala, I'll pull out if you want to wait for me, and then follow me to my gran's?"

"Sounds like a plan," I say.

I drive around slowly in the direction she went, just getting to her car as she is pulling out.

As we drive, I realize that we are heading to Forks, and as we get closer, I know that she is taking me to where John used to live.

I pull up outside a house that I haven't been in for almost a hundred and fifty years. A tap on my window makes me jump in my seat. My head turns seeing Bella who is looking at me with some worry.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

I clear my throat and turn off the engine. "I'm fine," I say as I open my door a little.

Bella moves back and I step out. I walk with Bella to the door and before we reach it, Jasper pulls it open. He smiles at me and my eyes flicker to the woman beside him, who looks like Lilith, only a little smaller.

"I'm Alice," she says holding out her hand. "Bella, could you head over to the market for me?"

Bella just looks between us, sighs and nods. "What do you need?" she asks clearly, showing that she knows they just want to be rid of her for a little bit.

"A few potatoes and vegetables to go with the roast." Bella nods and turns to me before looking back. "Don't scare him, at least give him a few days before showing him your cray cray ways." There seems to be some worry in her tone. "I'll be back." Bella walks quickly away, but I can't help watching her. There is a pull inside of me that wants to follow her, just to make sure she is okay.

"She'll be fine, for now anyway," Alice says bringing my attention back to her. "We don't have long, so let's do this quickly."

I nod as she moves letting me in.

"You already know about Michael?" she asks.

"Yes; he is a warlock that has the power to change his appearance, and is trying to bring about the end of humanity by mating with a strong witch that has a history of white witches, wherein she will bring forth a child."

"That's right, but his true name is Dante."

I only look at her, not caring about his real name. Alice swallows and wisely moves on. "My ancestors never dreamed that the witch would be one of their own."

My eyes flicker to Jasper and he places his arm around her as my own heart takes off, in worry.

"My family and the Whitlock's have always been close. When my daughter and Jasper's son fell in love, it was both a blessing and a curse. It wasn't until Bella was born that I truly saw what she was, and what would happen." Alice stops again. "She is very powerful. More so than me, and I knew he would find her. So I've done all that I can. I bound her power, but still taught her the ways of a witch. Just as Jasper has trained her to be strong physically. We gave her my late husband's last name of Swan to help keep her hidden, but time is running out." Again Alice stops, and Jasper takes over.

"She will inherit her powers tonight," he says.

"Why?" I ask cutting them off, if they are bound, why can't they stay that way?

"Because she has turned twenty-one. This is the age when her gift will manifest, and that's something I can't stop."

Even though I don't understand, I nod at Alice, who sighs. "With training by others, she will have the power to shield herself. She will also have the ability to use that power to shoot energy balls … just think of it as the invisible woman."

"Okay," I mutter as I think of the invisible woman from the fantastic four. "How much is she aware of?"

"She knows that I believe in magic, and she used to believe, too. But she's older now, and I have been trying to keep my abilities low key. Both of her parents, more so her mother, are non-believers. Jasper, however, has trained her how to fight and to control her emotions."

"There will be links to her gifts, and magic?" I ask.

Alice nods.

"It may have been a good thing you bound her power. I would hate to have even witnessed a fraction of that when she was going through puberty."

"Another reason we did," Jasper answers. "We don't know where he is; he has been hiding himself, and all we know is that he is close by. Another good thing is that he only has until All Hallows Eve to get to her. After that, she will be too powerful, and he will not be able to corrupt her."

"Why, what's so special about that day?" I ask.

"It's a day for my people. On All Hallows Eve of a witch's twenty-first year, they are blessed by the gods. Well, for white witches, that is."

I rub my head as Jasper moves a little closer to me. "Try not to think too hard, just go with it. It's the way it is, because it is." He chuckles and his eyes flicker to the door. "She'll need you, and so do we."

"You are important; my family has always thought that you are the key piece in stopping and killing him."

I hear a car pull up and I know Bella is back. "That's why I am alive … just tell me what I need to do," I say.

Before they are able to answer Bella walks in.

"Have I been gone long enough?" Bella asks as she walks in the house.

"Yes," Alice answers. "Come and help me with dinner and let Jasper and Edward talk."

As Alice and Bella make dinner, Jasper takes me through his family history, and how he knew about me. He also knew what I had lost and his family agreed that I would only be sought out when the time was right. Meeting me at the college was not just coincidence, it turns out they have always known where I was. It also turns out his family and Alice's lost touch and was only brought back together when his daughter Renee and Alice's son Charlie married. Although Renee and Charlie's marriage only lasted a few years, the families stayed in touch, and became closer through the loss of their partners, and Bella.

"Boys, dinner is ready," Alice says.

Jasper stands up walking into her arms. I walk to the table and see that my seat is next to Bella's.

I move her chair out as she approaches and help her to sit before sitting down. I start to plate up, only stopping when I feel her eyes on me.

"What?" I ask unsure of why she seems to be staring at me.

"Nothing," she says shaking her head.

Bella starts to eat, but I know that she is also in deep thought. "Has your mom called yet?" Jasper asks with a smile.

"Yeah, she said she'll bring my main gift with her when she comes to visit next month with Phil." Bella says sounding unenthused and I'm not sure if it´s because she misses her mom or it's over the guy her mom's with now. "She sent me some money though."

"What about your dad?" I ask.

"Charlie?" she asks with a smile. "He bought me some books, and a camera. We're having dinner tomorrow, if the station can do without him for a few hours."

"I am sure they will be able to," Alice tells her.

Dinner goes by with a little chit chat, and Jasper and Alice clear the table leaving Bella and me alone for the first time since we arrived.

"I am sorry about them. I'm wracking my brain trying to think of what's going on."

"It's fine. I do know them or more so their family."

Bella again seems to just look at me.

"Bella," Alice says joining us at the table. "It's time for your last gift, so to speak."

"The necklace is enough, Gran."

Alice shakes her head at her. "No, this is your birthright."

Alice hands Bella a book and she looks at me, her face a deep red color. "Gran," she hisses with a nod my way.

"Do you remember my ancestors that gave a friend the gift of immortality?" Alice asks.

When Bella doesn't speak she continues. "This is him, Edward is that friend."

Bella immediately looks at me.

"You will receive your gift of magic tonight; we have to train you before Dante arrives."

"Gran …" Bella again hisses.

"I am over two hundred years old," I say.

Bella turns to me and chuckles. "How much are they paying you?"

"Here," Jasper says placing a photo on the table.

My eyes go to it along with Bella's, and I see that it's me with John and Lilith.

"No, there is no such thing as real magic, Gran." Bella gets up and moves but the door slams shut and Bella turns to Alice who is muttering some words in a foreign tongue.

Bella and I watch as some lights appear that are almost like dancing flames.

"What?" Bella stutters as she looks at her gran.

"This is who you are, Bella, this is always what you have felt was missing from your life."

I touch her arm gently and she looks at me. Our eyes lock and I can see she is worried, but there is also a kindness in her eyes; a type of kindness that's not often seen anymore.

"Trust us to help you," I swallow feeling unsure of what I am thinking, but I know deep down I need to say it. "You are a good person; this gift is one that has been given to you by God."

Bella seems to calm down, and I sit with her as Alice and Jasper fill her in on everything. She is upset that they hid the truth from her and bound her gifts.

I stood off to the side as Alice lifts the bond on her powers. Bella looks the same, but I can feel the difference in her. I was twitching a little but was happy like with Lilith and now Alice. I have no desire to kill her, just this overwhelming need to keep her safe. Even more so when she looks horrified over whom Dante is and what he wants.

It was so late by the end of everything, Alice said to call it a night and that we would start training Bella tomorrow. As it's so late, I told Bella I would drive her back to her dorm. Not only for her, but also for me. I need to make sure she's safe.

"You're really two-hundred-years old?"

"Two-hundred-and-twenty-eight-years old to be exact. I was twenty-eight when Dante left, and I drank the potion that made me immortal."

"Why did you do it, I mean, drink it?"

My eyes flicker to her and back to the road. "Long story, not one I want to get into now, nor do I think it makes a good bedtime story."

Bella's hand softly touches my leg. "I am sorry for what he did to you."

"It's not your fault," I smile.

Bella just hums. "This still feels unreal, almost like I'm expecting them to jump out and say 'fooled you'."

I pull up outside the dorm and look over at Bella. "Get some sleep; we have a lot to get through in the coming weeks."

 **~THAHW~**

I stand back and just watch as Alice takes Bella through spells. Despite it having only been five weeks since she was given her powers, Bella's doing remarkably well. Alice and Jasper decided to wait until the weekend after her birthday to start teaching her spells. This was mainly to give her time to process the new information.

During the past weeks, Bella has become notably stronger. There has been an odd time where she's been overthinking things during class, and her mind has wandered. If she's not thinking, she can do things which draw attention to her. She has the ability to move small objects and has done so without realizing it. Luckily for both her and us, I seem to be the only person who has noticed. Thankfully, I've been able to stop her or direct her attention back to the present. Her shield looks like a blueish-purple light. It covers her when she is in any sort of danger. Last week she was walking in the parking lot when another student lost control of his car. I leaped in front of her as the vehicle skidded toward us. I knew there was no way to stop it, and it was going to hit us. All I could do was take most of the impact; but she shielded us and pushed the car away. Thankfully, it was late and dark, and when the car came to a stop. I quickly moved us between two cars. Whereas, everyone around was stunned, no one questioned it.

My feelings of protecting her have grown, too. I am sure that's due to the fact that I have spent all of my free time with her, and we have developed a strong friendship.

Currently, Bella, Jasper, and I are in the woods in the rear of Jasper's home training. I spy Bella behind some trees, and to her left is Jasper. As he takes aim with his knife, I take aim with my bow and arrow. Making sure I am a little off but not by much.

My time is on par with Jasper's and we attack. Her shield deflects Jasper's thrown knife, and quickly blocks my arrow. Bella smiles just as Jasper sneaks up on her. When he closes in, Bella turns and her hands fly up in fright. Instead of her shield covering her, a bolt shoots out of her hand and flings Jasper across the wooded area.

"Oh my God!" Bella yells as we both run towards Jasper. "I am so sorry!" she exclaims when we reach him.

"Bella, honey, calm down," Jasper hisses out as I help him to sit up.

"Calm down? I just flung you across the woods!" Bella yells waving her hand to the side. As she does, another bolt flies out hitting and destroying a large tree.

"Hands down," I say looking at her knowing that her panic is making things worse.

Bella just looks at me. "What the hell is going on? I thought I was just a shield. I thought I could only protect myself and others who are with me from attacks. I had no idea I was going to blow up trees."

I run my hand up and down her arms, and she moves a little closer. When we all hear a noise, I keep her hands down as they instinctively turn that way.

"Your powers are growing as you are becoming stronger," Alice says as she approaches us slowly.

"You're listening in again?" Bella asks.

"No, I saw what was going to happen," Alice answers.

Bella's head snaps around to Alice. "You should have stopped me, I could have killed him."

"No, not yet, but in a few weeks when you are able to control it, yes. You may be able to hurt someone, or even kill them with a bolt of power. Besides, I only had my vision as I was coming to remind you of the time."

Bella looks at her watch and groans. "I hope I don't blow anyone up at dinner."

Alice and Jasper both chuckle as Bella merely looks at Jasper sadly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he tells her.

"You're not a young man anymore," I add.

Jasper looks at me and grins. "Yeah, you have a point, blow up Edward next time, Bella, he's young and immortal."

"That's not funny," she says.

"It is, but let's get home so you can get dressed and meet your mom for dinner," I say as I help Bella to stand. I hold out my hand and Jasper takes it, and I pull him up as he groans a little.

Bella seems to drag her feet as we walk back to the house.

"I thought you would be excited to see your mom?" I ask making her look at me.

"I am, but what if something happens? I can barely control this."

"You can hide it when you're at college," I remind her.

"No, you always catch me," she retorts.

"That's only because I am a hunter."

Bella hums and then stops walking turning to me. "Will you come?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, I would feel better if you were there, and you can meet my mom and dad." As soon as she stops talking, she starts to bite her lip.

The odd feeling of wanting and needing to protect her creeps up on me again. The clear helplessness in her voice as she pleads for my help feeds it even more so. So much more that I move into her personal space and stroke her hair with my hand.

"If you need me to be there, then I will. I told you before that I will always be there when you need me."

Bella smiles at me, and we walk into the house. She heads upstairs to get washed and changed as I head to the guest room I use when we are training all night.

I stand in the living room looking at the many photographs that hang on the wall.

"She looks more like her father than her mother," I say just as Jasper walks in.

"Yes, she does."

"What's her mom like; she doesn't talk much about her?"

Jasper sighs. "She's not good with responsibility, and is more of a carefree spirit. Just wait … the new man she's bringing will be closer to your age than her forty-five-year-old self.

I chuckle a little as I turn looking at the wedding photo of Renee and Charlie. "Your wife was very beautiful."

"She was, and I loved her dearly."

I raise my eyebrow at him, hearing more in his words than what I think he meant to let out.

"But you love Alice more?" I ask.

Jasper looks at me and then chuckles. "Yes. Don't get me wrong, nothing happened between Alice and me until both our partners were gone. That doesn't change that I fell in love with Alice the second I laid eyes on her. Getting to know her just deepened my love for her."

"When did Maria die?" I ask already knowing that Alice's husband James had passed shortly before Charlie and Renee started dating.

"Almost ten years after James."

"Did she know?" I ask.

"That I was a hunter, and that Alice was a witch?" He asks and I nod at him.

"Yes; she was also a hunter. She wasn't too pleased that our daughter was marrying the son of a witch."

Again I hum. "Did she know that you loved Alice?"

He smiles but shakes his head. "No. I am very good at hiding my feelings; well, I can from everyone apart from Alice and Bella."

"Gentlemen," Alice says and Jasper and I turn to see both her and Bella standing at the door. "Are you ready to leave?"

"We are," I answer walking straight to Bella. "You look amazing," I say as I hold my arm out for her to take.

"Why don't you take Bella in your car, and I'll take Alice in mine?" Jasper says with a smile.

I nod and lead Bella over to my car.

"Are you feeling calmer?" I ask as I start to drive.

"A little, just—" Bella stops and seems to think for a few moments. "In a way, I wish he would just show up, so we can get things over with. Then my mind reminds me that just because he's been dealt with does not change the fact that I am a witch and can perform magic. Then there is the possibility that someone else, some other evil witch, or warlock will just take his place."

I swallow a little. "You may be right. Before Dante came back into my life, I had hunted and killed a few witches, but so far none have been as powerful as he is. I do, however, know that there are powerful one's out there."

I pull up and park my car outside the restaurant. As I help Bella out, I see Jasper parking his car next to mine.

All four of us walk to the door together. We immediately see Charlie standing there with a woman.

"Mom, Bella," he says making the woman turn. I swallow as I see that this is a female I had met about thirty years ago when she visited La Push. My hope is that as the meeting was short, she may not recognize me. That hope slowly disappears and she just stares at me.

"Nice to meet you, Charlie," I say moving my eyes off her. I look at Charlie who looks me over clearly as a sheriff and as a father.

"I didn't know Sue was coming," Alice says moving things along.

"Yeah, well, we're dating and I thought if Bells was meeting her mom's new love, she should meet mine, too."

I take a hold of Bella's hand and her dad's eyes follow my movement.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Charlie asks.

"No, this is Edward, a friend," Bella quickly answers.

Charlie hums but doesn't say anything.

"Renee's, here," Jasper says and I follow his eyes seeing a woman walking toward us with a man that looks as if he is in his late twenties.

"Now, who is this? Please tell me, Bella, that this is your hunky man," Renee says in a tone I'm sure she thinks is sexy as she looks me up and down.

"This is my friend, Edward," Bella says.

Renee rolls her eyes. "Well, this is my Phil, and we're married." Renee waves her hand as my eyes go to Phil, who looks uneasy and seems to be taking everyone in. "This is my daughter, Bella. Bella, this is Phil, your new daddy."

"No!" Charlie yells. "She will not be calling him Dad, or Daddy."

Renee again rolls her eyes. "Come and give him a hug, Bella."

"I'd rather not," Bella says. "Besides, we need to get to our table." Without waiting, Bella walks into the restaurant letting out a breath.

Dinner slowly becomes more of a contest between Charlie and Renee as they try to outdo each other. I was a little baffled as they hardly see their daughter. I thought this would be about showing her they were proud of her.

"What's your last name, Edward?" I look at Sue who looks as if she's still trying to work out where she knows me from.

"Masen," I answer.

"Are you from Port Angeles?"

I shake my head at her. "No, I moved there, a few months ago."

"What about Forks?" Phil smirks at me.

"No," Charlie answers for me.

"How would you know if you just met him tonight?" Phil asks.

"I am the sheriff; I know everyone in Forks," Charlie answers.

"Oh, God, he's right, everyone knows everyone in Forks. Even if your family lived there years ago, and moved back after years of being gone," Renee states.

"So was there ever a Masen family that lived in Forks?" Phil asks.

Charlie seems to look at his mom who just smiles. "There was one that lived here about two hundred years ago, but that family has died off."

"Where did your family come from, Edward, because I know that I know you," Sue states.

"England," I answer knowing that my mother came from there, so I wasn't lying.

"This is supposed to be a belated birthday dinner for Bella, let's enjoy it," Alice says sounding cross and angry.

I can completely understand. The hostility between Charlie and Renee has made me on edge, and I feel as if I am in the center of a battle. I know that Bella, Alice, and Charlie, all being witches, even with the fact Charlie no longer uses magic, only adds to it.

Alice's words of wisdom seem to rein Charlie and Renee in a little, but I was still happy when dinner came to an end.

"Mommy and—" Renee stops and looks at Charlie, "Phil will call and meet up with you later. We're here until the thirty-first of the month." She hugs Bella and then looks at Charlie. "Charlie," she says with a smirk and walks over to Jasper. "Bye, Daddy."

Charlie does pretty much the same only he says he'll see Bella next week when he gets a full day off from the station.

"Is dinner always like that?" I ask once I am driving us back to Bella's dorm.

"Not always, if they don't have anything new happening, like a partner, then they are pretty calm. For two people who say they have no feelings for each other, they don't act that way."

I laugh quietly, but her voice sounds sad. "We can stop off some place for a bit, if you want?"

Bella purely looks at me and then starts to bite her lip. "Could we go back to your place?"

My head turns to her. As I look at her, she just waits for my answer. Swallowing I look back at the road.

"I would say my place, but it's the dorm. Somehow, I am sure that wouldn't be allowed." She stops and looks deep in thought. "Am I allowed to go to yours? Are you even allowed to hang out with me?"

"I'm not really allowed, no. However, Jasper, Alice, and I went to the Dean. They claimed to be my Godparents. My records show that I moved from Chicago, and they went with the story that they had lost touch and I hadn't seen you since you were ten years old."

"So we're fine?" she asks.

"Yes, we are," I say with a smile. "And yes, you can come over. You will be the first person I've had over."

Bella nods but smiles slightly.

 **~THAHW~**

I walk into the kitchen and see that Bella is carving pumpkins.

"Aren't you a little late?" I ask knowing that it's Halloween today.

"I have a few hours, so sit down and help me."

I grin and move to her. "Can't you just cast a spell and have this all done?" I ask.

"No personal gain, remember?"

"Yeah … but come on, a little magic to decorate this place wouldn't be bad."

"No," Alice says as she walks in. "Besides, we only have two more to carve, if you do less talking and more carving we'll get done before tea time."

I chuckle but pick up the knife and start to help. "Did your mom and Phil leave?" I ask feeling hopeful. Renee has far too much energy for me, and Phil is odd. There's something not right about him. He's too nice and eager to please both Bella and Renee; no one is that nice and good.

We finished, and the place is all decorated.

"I am just going to get changed," Bella says with a smile.

I smile back at her, feeling happier that I have ever been.

"Just six more hours to go and then I'm free right?"

I shake my head a little. "No, it will just make it harder for him to get you," I answer.

Bella simply nods at me. "Maybe I'm not the one he wants?"

"Possibly," I answer knowing that's not likely. There's something compelling about Bella, and I'm more than unwilling to allow her to be hurt.

I walk to my room, and get changed into my hunter costume to match Bella's red riding hood costume. I smile when I come out and see her.

"We match, well sort of," Bella says with a huge smile.

The night passes with us all handing out candy. When ten o'clock comes, I am relieved to be able to be to sit down knowing that trick or treating is over for another year.

"It must get boring doing this for as many years as you have," she says.

I shrug but don't answer. Someone knocks on the door, and Alice sighs as she gets up moving to it. "Want to head home, or are we staying here tonight?" I ask hoping she says 'stay here' as I want us to be close to both Alice and Jasper tonight.

Before she can answer a crying Renee walks in. "Mom?" Bella says as Jasper jumps up saying Renee's name.

"He left me!" she sobs.

"Phil?" Jasper asks.

"Yes, Phil," she sniffs.

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Yeah," Bella says. "That's if you don't mind sharing with me?"

"That would be good, I missed my girl," Renee says as she walks to Bella, her darkened eyes go to me.

I have a strange feeling that something's off with her.

"Can we go to bed now?" Renee asks.

Bella looks at me and I smile and nod, but my insides are screaming _no_ at her. I watch them walk away and as they walk out, Renee turns to me, and again I get an odd feeling.

"I am surprised she thought it would last," Alice says with a sigh, but my head's still facing the door. My eyes go to the photo and I again look at the wedding photo of Charlie and Renee, seeing her clear blue eyes sparkling.

"Dammit! That's Dante!" I yell as I run to the room, only for a blast to throw me back. As I hit the wall, I hear Bella scream.

"What happened?" Jasper and Alice ask as I shake myself awake.

"He took her," I yell getting up.

I grab my bow and arrow and start to run to where his house was when I was younger.

I jump as a shimmer of light appears in front of me. Raising my bow, I prepare to release an arrow only to have Alice and Jasper appear in front of me. They no longer look like the elder couple they are, now they appear to be in their late twenties.

"Let's get this done," Jasper says.

I nod at him and we start moving through the woods.

"Charlie is out looking for Renee, he better not have hurt her," Jasper hisses clearly upset and angry.

The rain starts to fall just as we reach the house. As we move to the large steel gate, we find there seems to be some sort of shield stopping us from getting through.

"Alice can you break this?" I ask knowing he must have placed a protection shield around his home.

"Yes," she sneers. "It should be easy since I am pissed off."

Alice throws some potions at it, along with some words, and it explodes.

Just as I go to enter she pulls me back. "Take these," she says handing me several white crystals. I look at them and then back to her. "It's part of the plan. We need to place them around him to end him."

I nod and put them safely in my pocket. We slowly enter the grounds, just as Bella yet again screams loudly. I look to the house and see her shield glowing brightly. I can see it's getting hit with a black light. I can only smile a little over the fact she's putting up a fight, but I need to get to her.

A rustling noise makes me turn. I see a pumpkin coming to life in front of me.

"What the hell …" I say trailing off as it starts to attack.

"He's trying to keep us busy, Edward, we'll deal with them, get in there and help her," Jasper yells.

I hit the ones that appear in front of me, but try hard not to waste time fighting them. When I get to the door, I have to kick it in.

I enter the house to hear the fight going on.

"Edward," I stop and turn seeing my sister standing there.

"Jessica?" I ask feeling stunned.

"Help me," she says with a plead making me move towards her.

Just before I reach her, Bella again screams making me turn my head.

"Help me" she says again.

I close my eyes moving away from Jessica. "I am sorry. I love you," I say turning my back on her.

"I'm your sister, she is nothing." Jessica hisses, but this time I know it's not my sister; Dante's playing games with me. He'll pull out everything he has to stop me. As she again hisses, the sounds changes into a howl.

I turn feeling her move behind me, and I see her shape shift into a black cat.

"You're familiar," I hiss knowing most witches and warlocks have one.

The cat leaps on me, and I deflect her, throwing her into the wall. She gets up, so I take an arrow and fire it, hitting her in the hip.

"Now be a good kitty, and stay down," I growl and start to run to where the fight is taking place.

Arriving at the room, I see Bella being flung across the room. I leap in front of her and don't pause when I see Phil standing in front of me. Immediately, I start to shoot arrows at him.

"Edward, arrows? You think this is the best defense against all of this?" he asks raising his hands.

I pull back on my bow and let another arrow fly, but he swipes his hand and my weapon flies from my hands. Phil smirks as he forms a dark energy ball, but as he throws it at me, Bella's shield appears in front of me.

My eyes are desperate to look at her and check to see how badly she's been hurt. I know I can't let my guard down for long so I look back at Dante.

Bella throws an energy ball at Dante and then uses her abilities to move my weapon back to me.

Bella and I keep fighting him to no avail.

"This is not working, he's too strong," Bella calls.

"Of course I am too strong. I am over five-hundred-years old, with a family history of two-thousand additional years." Dante laughs sarcastically. "Even if you had your ancestors with you, you still wouldn't be strong enough to beat me."

"You may be strong, but I am angry!" Bella shrieks but instead of sending out a blast she covers him with her shield.

He laughs, but stops when he realizes he is trapped.

"Hurry, place the crystals around him," Bella orders.

I do what she says as she chants. I feel the tingling feeling inside me increase as my body is hit with cold air.

When I stand I see the room is filled with witches.

"How about my ancestors plus all the witches you have killed?" Bella smirks as they all chant with her.

"Edward, get ready!" My head snaps around to see Jessica standing with my father.

"The center of his chest, Edward," my father tells me with a small smile before he starts to chant along with the rest of the witches.

I take aim as Dante hisses and screams. My eyes quickly move to Bella who is also chanting, but has a large energy ball in her hands. As the shield drops, Bella and I seem to be in sync as we fire. With both her energy ball and my arrow hitting him at once, Dante looks stunned. He lets out one more piercing scream as he breaks into pieces exploding into dust. I pull Bella to me as the blast from Dante throws us across the room and out the window.

I hold her as close as I can and hope that I will be able to take the full force of the impact. She is too drained from the fight to take any more. My whole body is hit with pain as we land. I try to open my eyes to look at Bella only to see her one last time, but then darkness overtakes me.

"Edward." I open my eyes to see Jessica standing in front of me. I look around to see that we appear to be on our family property. "You have to go back, she needs you."

"He's dead, Dante's dead isn't he?" I ask hoping we killed him.

"He is, but some other warlock will take his place, and she'll be the first witch on his list."

I can't say anything as Jessica just smiles at me. "You must know, Brother, she doesn't just need you to help her fight. She needs you in her heart, just like she is already in yours."

I gulp having had hope no one noticed my intense feelings for Bella. "Right from the start she got in there, she's yours and you're hers." Jessica pauses for a second and moves into my arms. I hug her closely to me.

"Be safe, this is my gift to you." She kisses my cheek as she slowly disappears I hear Bella's pleading voice.

"Please bring him back."

"I can't …" Alice states.

"No, you said he was immortal …" Bella cries.

"I was," I wheeze.

Bella hugs me close to her, even with my body in pain I still hold her to me.

"This can't be?" Alice mutters. "You died after he was destroyed. How can this be?"

"I think my sister had something to do with it," I tell them as I slowly sit up.

It's not only hard because of the pain, but also because Bella still hasn't let go of me.

"I have to say that I haven't missed this kind of pain," I mutter.

Bella moves away from me. As her eyes look me over, I take her in. She's clearly battered and bruised.

"I think we should head home," I say needing to get some rest.

Jasper helps me stand up still looking like he is twenty-eight.

"When does that spell wear off?" I ask wondering how long they will remain young.

"No time limit," he grins at me.

"He's dead?" I ask as I look at the house which is still standing.

My eyes flicker to the ground looking at the pumpkin pieces which are lying in chunks all over the ground.

"He is," Alice answers.

"I am no longer immortal, correct?"

Alice and Jasper nod, and I look at Bella who's looking at me with a worried brow.

I hold my arms open, and she quickly moves to me. Wrapping her arms around me, and mine around her, we help each other walk. I know I could walk on my own but this way I have her close.

"Any spell that will fix me, quickly?" I ask.

Alice, Jasper, and Bella, all laugh. "Yes, we'll get to it as soon as we arrive home," Alice says.

I nod as we fall into silence. We've almost made it out the woods, when Jasper's phone chirps.

"It's Charlie," he says as he answers it.

"Oh, thank God. She's fine, she's home in Phoenix," he tells us. "Does she have any idea that Phil was Dante?"

As Jasper groans, I know she doesn't which means one of them will have to tell her.

"You want to tell her, Charlie?" Jasper mutters. "Fine, just break it to her easy and remember he tried to kill Bella."

"Do you think that's wise, my dad telling her?" Bella asks.

"Think it will help them?" Alice smirks.

"What have you seen?" We all ask making her chuckle as she shakes her head.

 **~THAHW~**

I watch as Bella flutters about around me. "I am all healed," I tell her, hating that no one told me until after I took the potion that Bella wouldn't be able to as it would be seen as personal gain.

"You were dead! Dead in my arms," Bella tells me.

I pull her to me holding her close.

"I am fine, and I am sorry; that will never happen again."

"But you can be hurt now and are no longer immortal."

I smile a little. "That's something I am happy about."

Bella just looks at me.

"Love, if I were, I would eventually have to watch you die, and I would still be alive." I sigh a little. "You have touched my heart, Bella …" I trail off unsure of how to tell her how I feel.

Before I can carry on she is kissing me. I smile a little as I kiss her back.

"What happens when the next warlock comes along?" she asks.

"We'll face and fight him together," I reply kissing her at the end. This time I know she'll always be my witch.


End file.
